NASA landed the Mars Rover Perseverance on February 18th. It is the first successful rover to make landing since 2012 and is expected to travel the Red Planet for years collecting rock samples taking pictures and for the first time recording the sounds of Martian Winds. Learn more about Mars and space exploration with these titles:
The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must, by Robert Zubrin, link
The Big Book of Mars: From Ancient Egypt to The Martian, A Deep-Space Dive into Our Obsession with the Red Planet, by Marc Hartzman, link
An Earthling’s Guide to Outer Space: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Black Holes, Dwarf Planets, Aliens, and More, by Bob McDonald, link
Amazing Stories of the Space Age: True Tales of Nazis in Orbit, Soldiers on the Moon, Orphaned Martian Robots, and Other Fascinating Accounts from the Annals of Spaceflight, by Rod Pyle, link
Five Billion Years of Solitude: The Search for Life Among the Stars, by Lee Billings, link
Cave paintings recently discovered in Australia and Indonesia are dated back to the Paleolithic era and are considered to be some of the oldest ever. Learn more about early man and the habit of cave painting with these titles:
The Caves of Perigord, by Martin Walker, link
Stepping-Stones: A Journey through the Ice Age Caves of the Dordogne, by Christine Desdemaines-Hugon, link
Cro-Magnon: How the Ice Age Gave Birth to the First Modern Humans, by Brian Fagan, link
New discoveries concerning Richard III’s DNA reveal clues to explain his behavior and answer some questions regarding the “Princes in the Tower” Cold Case. Get all the background information you need about Richard the III with these Tantor titles:
Richard III and the Murder in the Tower, by Peter A. Hancock, link
Richard III: The Self-Made King, by Michael Hicks, link
Richard III: England’s Most Controversial King, by Chris Skidmore, link
The King’s Grave: The Discovery of Richard III’s Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds, by Michael Jones, Philippa Langley, link
Relations between the United States and Iran continue to be stressed as Iran tests new weapons, funds military exercises in Syria and makes rocket attacks in Iraq while the U.S. postures with force and warnings. Research modern Iran and its complicated diplomacy with the U.S. with these titles:
Iran: A Modern History, by Abbas Amanat, link
Revolutionary Iran: A History of the Islamic Republic, by Michael Axworthy, link
The Secret War With Iran: The 30-Year Clandestine Struggle Against the World’s Most Dangerous Terrorist Power, by Ronen Bergman, link
Understanding Iran: Everything You Need to Know, From Persia to the Islamic Republic, From Cyrus to Khamenei, by William R. Polk, link
A Time to Betray: The Astonishing Double Life of a CIA Agent inside the Revolutionary Guards of Iran, by Reza Kahlili, link
Looking Ahead to February check these Historical Anniversaries and Awareness Days:
March 1, 1974 – Seven former high-ranking officials of the Nixon White House were indicted for conspiring to obstruct the investigation into the Watergate break-in. Learn more about Watergate and the resulting conspiracy with:
In Nixon’s Web: A Year in the Crosshairs of Watergate, by Ed Gray, L. Patrick Gray III, link
March 4, 1789 – The first meeting of the new Congress under the new U.S. Constitution took place in New York City. Learn how that Congress set the standard for how the government would work:
The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government, by Fergus M. Bordewich, link
March 5, 1868 – The U.S. Senate convened as a court to hear charges against President Andrew Johnson during impeachment proceedings. See how the first impeachment process played out with:
Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln’s Legacy, by David O. Stewart, link
March 8, 1863 – During the American Civil War, Confederate Colonel John Mosby, leader of Mosby’s Rangers, captured Union General E.H. Stoughton at his headquarters in Fairfax County Courthouse, Virginia. Deep dive into this little-known Civil War skirmish with:
Mosby’s Rangers: A Record Of The Operations Of The Forty-Third Battalion Virginia Cavalry, From Its Organization To The Surrender, by James Joseph Williamson, link
March 15, 44 B.C. – Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Senate chamber in Rome by Brutus and fellow conspirators. Get on the floor of the Roman Senate with this title:
The Death of Caesar: The Story of History’s Most Famous Assassination, by Barry Strauss, link
March 19, 2003 – The United States launches an invasion of Iraq to topple dictator Saddam Hussein from power. See how the invasion was executed on every border with:
The CIA War in Kurdistan: The Untold Story of the Northern Front in the Iraq War, by Sam Faddis, link
March 30, 1981 – Newly elected President Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest while walking toward his limousine in Washington, D.C., following a speech inside a hotel. Learn More abut Reagan’s presidency with:
The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the Cold War, by James Mann, link
March Awareness Month:
March 1st: National Pig Day
The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood, by Sy Montgomery, link
March 2nd: World Teen Mental Wellness Day
Parenting a Teen Who Has Intense Emotions: DBT Skills to Help Your Teen Navigate Emotional and Behavioral Challenges, by Pat Harvey, ACSW, LCSW-C, Britt H. Rathbone, MSSW, LCSW-C, link
March 14th: National Pi Day
A History of Pi, by Petr Beckmann, link
March 17th: St. Patrick’s Day:
St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography, by Philip Freeman, link
March 22th: National West Virginia Day
Seceding from Secession: The Civil War, Politics, and the Creation of West Virginia, by Eric J. Wittenberg, Edmund A. Sargus, Jr., Penny L. Barrick, link
March 25th: National Tolkien Reading Day
Tolkien’s Lost Chaucer, by John M. Bowers, link
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